1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a firearm safety system and, more particularly, to a stealthy firearm safety system attachable to a firearm magazine and insertable into a loading chamber.
2. Related Art
Since the events of Sep. 11, 2001, armed security personnel more frequently monitor crowded public places such as public buildings, bridges, chemical and electrical generating plants and airports, for example. The attacks unfortunately showed how vulnerable the public can be to terrorism and the like. Often, terrorists/criminals can be deterred from committing crimes of violence if armed security personnel are conspicuously visible, especially those who carry automatic or semi-automatic firearms.
Such firearms may be worn around the operator's shoulder, for example, so that the operator may position his hands and fingers near the trigger of the firearm for quick operation. However, automatic and semi-automatic firearms are capable of repeatedly firing many rounds and can cause extensive damage if the operator accidentally activates the trigger.
As is apparent, public places are usually crowded and noisy. Therefore, if the operator is not cautious, people may bump into him or he may become distracted by noise and thereby unintentionally move his fingers towards the trigger. Unintentional movement of the operator's fingers may activate the firearm trigger and thereby potentially injure or kill innocent bystanders. To assist in the prevention of such accidents, many firearms have safety locks. Unfortunately, safety locks can be accidentally toggled to an off position without the operator's knowledge and can fail after repeated use. Such a shortcoming can be fatal for obvious reasons. Moreover, safety buttons are typically positioned on the exterior of the firearm thereby allowing would-be terrorists/criminals to determine whether the firearm is in an operable mode. Such a shortcoming reduces the effectiveness for deterring would-be terrorists/criminals.
Other firearm safety means include removing a magazine from the firearm until the operator needs to operate the firearm. Unfortunately, not having a magazine inserted into the firearm quite obviously also notifies the public that the firearm is not operable. Should the operator need to operate the firearm, precious time and effort are required to locate, grasp and insert a loaded magazine into the firearm. This provides a terrorist/criminal extra time to commit a crime and escape from the scene.
Accordingly, the present invention, together with U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,805 directed to a Double Magazine Clamping Device, overcomes such shortcomings by employing a stealthy firearm safety system that is not visible to the public and able to switch a firearm from a non-operating mode to an operating mode with minimum time and effort.